You Are Enough: The Power of Collective Action
October 10, 2022 | 2 Minute ReadYouth climate activists and changemakers from around the world recently gathered to share their knowledge and perspectives at UNLEASH’s Regional Innovation Lab in Greenland.
What is our future if we do not work together towards change? Ayisha Siddiqa may have said it best, “If the future leaves without us, the silence that will follow will be an unspeakable nothing. What if we convince her to stay? How rare and beautiful it is that we exist. What if we stun existence one more time? … Love is still the only revenge. It grows each time the earth is set on fire. But for what it’s worth, I’d do this again. Gamble on humanity one hundred times over.” We are still capable of creating and sustaining a world that we desire to live in. May we find a way to bridge the gaps, embrace our differences, and realize that diversity is the strength of mankind.
On August 21, 2022, UNLEASH hosted a panel focused on youth and climate action at its first Regional Innovation Lab in Nuuk, Greenland. Two hundred young people from Arctic and Nordic countries gathered to listen to youth panelists who brought in perspectives as climate activists, educators, and youth engagement experts. Before hitting the stage, Siila Watt-Cloutier, Canadian Inuit climate advocate and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, gave us a simple piece of public speaking advice that resonated throughout the duration of the Lab: be authentic and speak from your experience. We reflected on the realities of climate change where we live in Greenland, Canada, and the east and west coasts of the United States, all of which look drastically different with varying implications.
Read the full blog on the UNLEASH website.
Banner image caption: Panelists speak at the UNLEASH Greenland youth and climate action panel. Left to right: Hailey Dougherty (Chemonics’ Environment and Natural Resources Specialist), Aka Niviana (Inuk Poet and Climate Changemaker), William Gagnon (Yellowknife NW Territories, Climate Changemaker), Anna Pettee (Unbounded Associates’ Program Manager and Emerging Climate Activist), and Ashley Hill (Chemonics’ Education and Youth Acting Specialist). The photo was taken by Anders Berthelsen.
Posts on the blog represent the views of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of Chemonics.
